


Dream Dwellers

by cattycas



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fusion, Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Canonical Character Death, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Implied Relationships, Light Angst, M/M, Mirror of Erised, Obi-Wan Kenobi Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-23
Updated: 2020-05-23
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:47:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,216
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24327526
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cattycas/pseuds/cattycas
Summary: With a quiet exhale Obi-Wan opened the door and stepped inside. Little girl — a first-year who got introduced to the Force just mere months ago — was sitting cross-legged on the floor, in front of a giant mirror with curious writings running along its golden frame. She was so enraptured with whatever she saw in the reflection that she didn't even notice as Obi-Wan got closer, and paid no mind to the sound his boots made, unaware of anything around her except for the cherished images the mirror was showing her.
Relationships: Obi-Wan Kenobi & Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi & Rey, Obi-Wan Kenobi/Anakin Skywalker
Comments: 12
Kudos: 54





	Dream Dwellers

**Author's Note:**

> Short Star Wars/Harry Potter crossover/fusion I wrote on a whim. The timeline is a bit skewed, so picture Obi-Wan here around Dumbledore's age in Fantastic Beasts (~mid 40s).
> 
> Obi-Wan/Anakin is pretty ambiguous and can be read as both romantic or platonic, so I tagged both, but feel free to interpret either way.

The castle was swathed in darkness. It was well past midnight, and all students were in their beds, getting much-needed rest in preparation for another day of vigorous studying. The end of the semester loomed near, which meant that tests and exams were just around the corner, and even the most notorious troublemakers found themselves lacking the enthusiasm to break the curfew.

Well, all of them but one, it seemed.

With long tails of his dark brown robes billowing behind him, Hogwarts headmaster Obi-Wan Kenobi made his way through the ancient corridors adorned with suits of knight armor and artworks in thick frames, their inhabitants either soundly asleep, or else hiding somewhere. Candles flicked to life as Obi-Wan moved by them, spilling puddles of light across the stone floor, and then dimmed again once he walked past them. 

All was quiet. Even mean-spirited loth-cat of their resident caretaker wasn't prowling around empty halls, for which Obi-Wan was secretly grateful, and it seemed like Force ghosts that usually loved hanging around inside Hogwarts walls were for once preoccupied elsewhere. Good, Obi-Wan thought. No one would upset his plans then.

When he finally arrived at his destination, he stopped just outside the study room where his goal lay. Breathing in, he centered himself in the Fore and hovered in the corridor just a little while longer, all too aware of what had to be done, what he would be taking away. But there wasn't much time to spare, he had allowed this to go on far too long already. 

With a quiet exhale Obi-Wan opened the door and stepped inside. Little girl — a first-year who got introduced to the Force just mere months ago — was sitting cross-legged on the floor, in front of a giant mirror with curious writings running along its golden frame. She was so enraptured with whatever she saw in the reflection that she didn't even notice as Obi-Wan got closer, and paid no mind to the sound his boots made, unaware of anything around her except for the cherished images the mirror was showing her. 

He had an idea of what those could be, of course. And as much as he hated interrupting her bliss, it had to be done.

"Hello, Rey," he murmured quietly, folding his robes and sitting down on the cold floor beside her.

"Oh!" 

The girl nearly jumped out of her skin when she finally took notice of the headmaster's presence. Her eyes went comically wide as she realized she was discovered, and her cheeks first paled in fear, then turned deep scarlet from embarrassment. 

"Master Obi-Wan," she babbled, wringing her hands, "I am so so sorry that I'm not in my bed, I know I shouldn't be out of dorm rooms so late, but this mirror! It's showing me my parents!"

 _Of course,_ Obi-Wan thought, his heart swelling. The girl was an orphan, deprived of her family. Naturally, her heart's deepest desire would be to meet them, to get to know her mom and dad, see signs of love her parents felt for her. He looked into her sparkling, joyous eyes, and his heart was already breaking with the harsh truth that he would have to dole out.

"Do you know what this mirror is, Rey?" Obi-Wan asked, cautious not to reveal magical artifact's nature too abruptly.

"No," Rey admitted, hesitant. "But I can see myself and my whole family there, and all of us are happy and alive! So it must mean they are... They are somewhere, looking for me, right? It means I can find them!" Biting her lip, she looked at Obi-Wan imploringly, "The mirror, it shows the future, right? What will soon happen?"

 _Oh, child._ Obi-Wan had a feeling this would be harder than he imagined. 

"Have you shown this mirror to someone else?" he asked Rey in lieu of answering her question.

She nodded.

"Yeah, I brought my friend Poe with me two nights ago," she said, and then promptly covered her mouth with a hand upon realization that she just admitted to breaking rules more than once. 

Obi-Wan let her confession go unnoticed, asking instead, "And what did the Mirror show Poe?"

"Oh, it was quite silly, really, he said that he saw himself flying, and that he was playing for the Harpies, and that he was also Captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team, and we won the House Cup..." she trailed off, a little thoughtful now. "At first, I thought that the mirror just shows generations of one's relatives, and then that it shows the future, but that's not it, is it?"

"No," Obi-Wan replied in the kindest tone of voice. "It's called The Mirror of Erised, and what it shows you is neither the future nor the past. And while it's not exactly a lie, it can only be called truth from a certain point of view."

"Oh," Rey said, her voice falling quiet with disappointment. The Force around her got colored with sudden sadness. She looked into the Mirror again, thoughtful. "Does it then... Does it show you whatever you want to see?"

Obi-Wan smiled, pleased. 

"Indeed. The Mirror of Erised shows one's heart's deepest desire, and while, perhaps, knowing oneself is not such a terrible thing, the Mirror can be dangerous. It won't help you to achieve any of your goals. It won't give you any knowledge. It won't satisfy any cravings, only deepen them. And you risk to waste away before this mirror, tempted by the images of what may never be. So, Rey," he looked right into girl's hazel eyes, "I'll have to relocate the Mirror, but I want you to promise me that you won't go looking for it again."

"I promise, sir," Rey replied, subdued. "I think I understand now. May I just take one last look before I go, please?"

Nodding, Obi-Wan stood up and moved away to give her a moment. He could almost hear the voice of his old teacher, Master Qui-Gon, telling him not to dwell on dreams, to keep his head in the present. Fortunately, he didn't need to repeat this lesson one more time to Rey, as after a minute the girl stood up as well and walked towards the door without looking back. 

"I trust that you will keep your promise," Obi-Wan said to her, then added with a small smile, "And that this is the last time any of the teachers catches you out of bed at this late hour."

"Of course, Master Obi-Wan!" Rey assured, but he didn't believe her very much. He knew a troublemaker when he saw one. Before she bolted out towards her dorm room, though, she glanced at him one more time and hesitantly asked, "Can I... Can I ask what do you see in the Mirror, sir?"

There was a pang of pain in Obi-Wan's chest, but he didn't let it show on his face. Stroking his beard, he answered in a carefree tone of voice, "Just myself."

The look Rey gave him in return was at least in part disbelieving, but she didn't pry further and slipped into the darkness of the hallway right after. 

Obi-Wan, however, lingered. Reaching into the Force, he followed his student's presence as she made her way to the Gryffindor Tower, pulling away satisfied when she arrived there safely. Her mind was filled with understandable sadness, but she was very bright and headstrong, not one to chase after lies and dreams. Now that she knew true nature of the Mirror of Erised, her obsession with it will cease, and when the time comes it won't stop her, Obi-Wan was sure of it. 

Now, the Mirror needed to be relocated, yes, and complicated plans must be arranged and pondered on, but perhaps he still had a little bit of time. The castle was still, enveloped in silence and darkness, dormant and peaceful as it could only be in the deepest hours of the night. And despite just warning Rey against it, Obi-Wan took a few careful steps back towards the Mirror, gracefully falling to his knees before it while dark robes pooled around him on the hard floor.

Taking a deep breath, he raised his eyes and met his own reflection — and was immediately taken aback by the radiant, blindingly brilliant smile that he hadn't seen on his face for years. Eyes prickling, he traced the image before him, taking in familiar faces, almost breathless with how happy everyone seemed. He was still the only being in the empty study room, he knew it as clearly as he knew that dead can't just come back, and yet, looking in the Mirror, he didn't feel alone anymore.

In the right corner of the reflection, behind his own shoulder and to the side, stood two beautiful women, bent close together and giggling. Meeting his gaze, Satin winked at Obi-Wan and then leaned towards Padme, who was smiling and waving, to whisper something. Behind his other shoulder stood Master Qui-Gon, his tall form towering over Obi-Wan's reflection just as it had in real life, his lips stretched in a genial smile. Once Obi-Wan's gaze fell on him, Qui-Gon inclined his head, approval clear in bright blue eyes, the sight of it filling Obi-Wan's chest with a new sort of ache.

Finally, steadying himself and fortifying his heart, he allowed his eyes to wander lower, back to himself — and Anakin.

His breath caught.

He hadn't forgotten, of course, how beautiful Anakin was, how he shined in the Force, how handsome his features were. Could never banish from his memory the striking blue of his eyes or the golden hue of untamed curls that framed his lovely, dear face — not that he ever tried, or even wanted to. But seeing himself caught in the embrace of those strong hands again surely brought pain. 

Obi-Wan didn't even notice when he scooted closer to the Mirror, drinking in the sight of his reflected dreams like a starving man discovering an oasis. His mirror-self was looking at him kindly, almost sympathetically as he leaned closer to Anakin, returning the embrace and tilting his head to silently say something. And on this side of the mirror real Obi-Wan sat still in the dark empty toom, unable to take his eyes off Anakin who was now laughing with his head thrown back, long column of his neck bared to the view, strands of dark blond hair falling to his shoulders in tangled mess. Oh, how Obi-Wan's fingers itched to touch, to tuck stray wild lock behind an ear. What wouldn't he give away just to hear that infectious laughter again. 

He sat, transfixed, eyes tracing the image before him, and the world around him seemed to stop revolving, frozen in this perfect, timeless moment. It wasn't until a distant howl of the wind, much later, finally brought him out of this reverie. The wind was picking up speed, whining in the pipes and finding its way into empty hallways, making old suits of iron armor tremble and creak, promise of a storm clear in the shudder of window glass. Far on the horizon the sky was turning lighter, signalling approaching sunrise. The time was running out fast now.

With a deep sigh Obi-Wan got to his feet, his knees protesting harsh treatment they endured. He couldn't help one last look — committing Anakin's bright smile to the memory, tucking away Satine's and Padme's kind looks, drawing in Qui-Gon's warm regard — and then reached into the Force, summoning a wide piece of shimmering cloth that covered the Mirror, hid beloved faces under opaque fabric. His heart throbbed, bemoaning the loss, even though in truth he lost them all a long, long time ago. 

_Do not dwell on dreams,_ he thought to himself as he exited empty study room; the Mirror, now covered in cloth and invisible to all but him, levitated behind him, and as always, his inner voice held a familiar cadence of his former teacher's. 

As Obi-Wan made his way through the archways and galleries, he could feel the castle starting to rouse from its slumber. The sound of wind still hollering under ancient arches and vaults was now accompanied by other noises. Soft murmurs of awakening artwork dwellers followed him on his path. Far away in distant parts of the castle he could hear steps of early risers preparing for the day, or hastily finishing whatever tasks they left for morning. House elves darted around behind the walls, mostly silent, but with occasional clap of apparation. A large owl flew by the window near which Obi-Wan was walking, seemingly towards the Headmaster's Tower, and he had a sinking feeling the voluminous scroll the bird was carrying was meant for him. Probably something from the Senate, too, and usually the mere thought would stir resentment that he felt towards politicians, but right then it just echoed with something hollow. His mind was still filled with images of past, with fantasies of what, perhaps, could have been. 

_Do not dwell on dreams,_ he kept repeating to himself. _Concentrate on here and now._

And now was only this — plans to make and put in motion. Plans to defeat a powerful dark wizard, the most dangerous and evil wielder of the Force that ever lived, once and for all.

**Author's Note:**

> Well, this actually turned out angstier than I initially planned, but I'm mostly satisfied with the outcome. I have some other ideas for this AU (e.g. Anakin is actually still alive, and twins are also around), so I might write more about this 'verse in the future, but we'll see :)
> 
> As I said in the beginning, Obi-Wan/Anakin is pretty ambiguous and up for interpretation at this point, but the scene at the end is of course hugely inspired by a similar Dumbledore/Grindelwald scene in Fantastic Beasts. And the whole premise is a retelling of a similar chapter in Harry Potter and Philosopher's Stone, which I'm sure any HP fan was able to recognize from the start. 
> 
> Anyways, thanks for reading! I hope this snippet was as enjoyable to read as it was to write.


End file.
